


Sweet Secrets

by LavenderandSage



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Plot baby, Protective Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Riverdale, Soft Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Valentine's Day, Why am I writing this when I have others to update, blinded by love, riverdale fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2020-11-23 19:43:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20895095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderandSage/pseuds/LavenderandSage
Summary: Sophia finds herself thrown out of her house seven days before Valentine’s Day when her husband of nearly six years announces that he’ll be leaving her for another woman. Betrayed and heartbroken, she moves in with her childhood best friend, Sweet Pea.Sweet Pea has a secret of his own and might not be able to keep it in much longer, especially when Valentine's Day is approaching and the love of his life literally just moved in with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found a random writing prompt on a writing website and immediately had the entire work downloaded in my head. Hope you enjoy this! It's gonna be a short one, probably 5 or 6 chapters at most!

“No, do not speak to me!” the shrill sound screeched out of Sophia’s throat without any time to think before speaking. “Do not even _look_ at me!” 

Her husband of six years, her high school sweetheart, stood in front of her a mix of anguish, shame and the smallest trace of anger flickering over his facial expressions. “Soph,” he started, “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I just-” 

“Oh _ save it! _” she interrupted, balling up a tee-shirt and hurling it at him. “You did mean for it to happen! You wanted an out! Now, you have one!” 

He flinched as a pair of his denim jeans came flying his way. He watched as she stormed around the room, pinballing from side to side, gathering up her most important belongings and stuffing them into a large duffle bag. 

“I didn’t mean to fall in love with someone else, Sophie,” he repeated to which, she huffed angrily. “But I do love her. Would you rather live a lie and go the rest of our lives with us unhappy?”

“Us?” she spat. “I _was_ happy, Joe!” She felt hot tears pricking her eyes, but her pride refused to show him how much pain she was in, how broken and betrayed she felt.  


“I just didn’t realize you weren’t.” She shoved her favorite blouse into a wad and into the bag. 

His hands reach out for nothing, helpless. 

“How did you meet?” she asked bitterly, going over to her jewelry box. 

“Soph, don’t do this to yourself,” he chided softly. Was it for himself or for her? 

“I’m not doing anything. YOU did this. How. Did. You. Meet?” She punctuated each word with a snarl and sharp hiss. 

“At work,” he answered simply. 

She barked out a humorless laugh. “ Oh, I get it. All that time working overtime. Isn’t that what you told me?” 

She felt so stupid, so humiliated. She wanted him to feel as low and as pathetic as she felt.

“Soph, I’m sorry,” he murmured again, looking down at his feet. 

She zipped up the bag that rested at the foot of the bed and hauled it over her shoulder with a grunt. “Shut up, Joe,” she warned lowly.

“Where are you going to go?” he asked. 

“Not that it matters, but I’m going home,” she snarled, tugging off her wedding rings in one last attempt to reclaim some type of control. She dropped them on the comforter and immediately thought her hand looked empty without them. 

“Sophie…” 

Her throat closed up and she made a strange sort of strangled choking noise, the weight of reality breaking through her angry bravado. Tears, hot and fast, were on the horizon and she feared if they started, they would never stop.

So she left without another word before he could see them.

***

Sweet Pea stretched out on the couch finally, kicking his feet up after a grueling 12-hour day in the shop fixing cars and motorcycles. Normally, work wasn’t so tedious, however with two other people out, the majority of the day was spent doing mindless mundane tasks like changing brake pads, oil changes, all the things he did when he was a teenager tinkering around.

He groaned and reached for the remote, intending on catching up on his favorite show. The reality was, he’d probably be asleep in the first fifteen minutes. 

A loud pounding on the door interrupted any intended or unintended plans. 

“Sweet Pea!” the voice called. He immediately recognized it, pulling himself off the couch and swinging the door open.

“What in the hell Sop-” he stopped short when he saw his best friend standing before him, shoulders slumped, duffle bag abandoned on the porch next to her and tears streaming down her pale face. 

Her face crumbled as soon as she saw him. He gingerly stepped forward, reaching out for her and drawing her closer to his body in a protective way.  
“Fee, what happened?!” 

“He-he’s in love with someone else!” she cried, collapsing into the safety of his chest as she openly wept. 

He slid his arms around her shaking frame encasing her in a hug, his hand tangling up in her hair at the base of her neck. “Oh Fee,” he soothed softly. “I’m so sorry,” 

Sweet Pea wasn’t sure how long they stood there holding her as she sobbed, her heart-shattering in front of him. The flood of emotions immediately overwhelmed him. 

He felt undeniably angry at Joe for hurting her like this. Nevermind, he had never liked Joe but had always tried to be supported of his best friend. He felt devastated for her but also somewhere beneath all the anger, sadness and protectiveness, he was jubilated and terrified all at once. 

He couldn’t deny the hopefulness he felt for a fraction of a second. But he had to push all that aside. It wasn’t the right time to think of any of that. He just needed to be there for her. 

After a while, he nudged the top of her head with his chin affectionately. “Come on, let’s go inside,” he said softly as if anything louder than a whisper would shatter her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave some thoughts for me!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Toni lays down some truth bombs.

He slept on the couch that night and gave Sophie his bed. After her sobs quieted to simple sniffles, he tucked her in carefully, blankets up to her chin like she liked, surrounded by a fortress of pillows.

“Goodnight Fee,” he said, pushing her hair back from her forehead and replacing it with a quick kiss. 

Fresh tears welled up in her bloodshot eyes. 

“Shhh, no more tears. We’ll figure all this out tomorrow,” he reassured with a tight smile, his heart aching for his best friend. 

With a small nod, she closed her eyes, a stray tear slipping over her cheek. 

He lingered for a moment before he left the room, retreating to the couch. It was already after midnight. He ripped the blanket from on top of the couch and covered his body, willing himself to sleep ignoring the tightness lingering in his chest. 

Tomorrow wouldn’t be any easier. 

***

She was somewhere between a night of restless sleep and being awake. The luxury of being asleep soon ebbed away as she realized where she was and why. 

Hot tears trailed down her raw cheeks before she even opened them. She sat up slowly, rubbing her sore, angry eyes. 

She was tired of crying already but she couldn’t make them stop. Her face hurt. She took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs till they protested, anything to distract her from the pain in her heart. 

Six years of marriage, nine years together. All gone in one sentence. 

_“I don’t love you anymore.” _

She couldn’t understand. 

“Ahem,” Sweet Pea cleared his throat from the doorway. 

Sophie looked up and saw him standing with a tray. 

“Morning, I made all your favorites,” he said, walking over with the tray and perching on the side of the bed. “Cinnamon pancakes with blueberries and a side of bacon. Pairs lovely with this vanilla roasted coffee with almond milk.” 

Her shoulders dropped and a tight smile graced her lips. “Pea, I… thank you.” 

“What are best friends for?” he grinned, handing the tray over. “I can’t guarantee I won’t steal a few bites. I think I’ve outdone myself if I do say so.” 

She reached over, her delicate, ringless hand resting on his forearm.

“We’ve been through worse, we’ll get through this too,” he reassured, stealing a bite from her plate.

It was true. When Sweet Pea’s father left his mother and him when his mother taken too early from breast cancer when Sophie had totaled her car and almost died. They both had the figurative and literal scars to prove it. 

“Fuck, Pea,” she swore. “I just can’t believe this. I didn’t know my heart could hurt this badly.” She glanced down at her hand. 

“He’s a piece of shit,” he said gruffly.

“Pea,” she warned. 

“I never thought he deserved you,” he continued. 

“Pea,” 

“If I see him, I’m gonna kill him. I swear.” his fist clenched.

“Enough, Pea!” she barked, the words coming out sharper than she intended. She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale. “I’m sorry, I just can’t handle this right now,” she added softer, withdrawing her hand from him.

He nodded, immediately regretting his words but not that he meant them. “Sorry, Fee. I just don’t like seeing you hurt.” 

“I know.” 

He rubbed his hands on his slacks. “I have to go into work and open up the shop,” he said, trying to read her expression. “Are you gonna be okay here alone, or should I send Fangs to keep your company?” 

She shook her head, “No, no. I don’t need a babysitter. I kinda just want to be alone and cry and sleuth. 

He smiled sympathetically. “Alright, I’ll try and get off work early, okay?” 

“Sounds good.”

***

“Sweet Pea,” Toni called from the front desk. “This is the third time today you’ve forgotten to check a customer out and give them their keys. You’re lucky I’m here today to save your ass.”

Toni only worked part-time in the shop and helped out with the front desk. She didn’t need to work, especially being married to a Blossom, but Toni was one that enjoyed being busy.

He swore, rubbing his face with his dirty hands and immediately regretting it. “Sorry, Toni. Just got a lot on my mind.” 

She chuckled as grease stained his olive skin. “Really? I couldn’t tell,” the sarcasm oozed as he handed him a clean rag.

His eyes narrowed playfully and he was rewarded with another bright grin from her. 

“Care to share?” 

“Sophia showed up at my doorstep last night-” he began. 

“Oh, that explains it,” Toni interrupted and nodded as if everything made sense suddenly. 

“What?” 

“What do you mean, what?” 

“I mean what I mean. What do _you_ mean?” he demanded, wiping his cheek with the rag. __

_ _“I mean, I know why you’ve literally been mentally checked out all morning,” she said, perching herself on a nearby bike. _ _

_ _He couldn’t disagree that his mind wasn’t at work, it was back home with Sophia, but he didn’t want to admit that to Toni. _ _

_ _“And you only get this way when something is bothering you and usually that something involves a certain someone.” _ _

_ _Sweet Pea said nothing. _ _

_ _“Why is she home?” Toni pressed. “Oh god, she’s not pregnant, is she?”_ _

_ _“What? Fuck, no. Joe left her for another woman.” _ _

_ _There was a confused pause._ _

_ _“... And that’s bad for you?”_ _

_ _“What are you talking about? Of course, it’s bad, my best friend is heartbroken!” he exclaimed. _ _

_ _“But Sophia is single now,” Toni rebuttal. “And is back home for the first time in years.”_ _

_ _“Jesus, Toni. She just had her heart broken by Joe. It’s not like that!” he shook his head angrily. _ _

_ _“Sweet Pea, you can lie to yourself all you want, but you’ve been in love with that girl since day one. And you’ve been too much of a pussy to tell her the entire time. You’ve watched her date other guys, fall in love and leave Riverdale, married. Don’t you see this as a sign?” _ _

_ _“Toni,” he warned, his head swimming. _ _

_ _She held her hands up in defense, “Just think about it. Be her best friend, get her through the next few days, but for your sake… and honestly, for all of our sake, tell the girl you love her.” _ _

_ _Sweet Pea hung his head sighing in defeat. Watching Sophia get married to Joe was probably one of the lowest points in his life. Toni and Fangs had been especially patient as he worked through those long, dark months. _ _

_ _“Go home,” Toni said. _ _

_ _“We’re understaffed.” _ _

_ _“And you’re useless,” Toni pointed out. “I can pick up the slack.” _ _

_ _He looked at her for a moment and sighed again. “Fine,” he said reluctantly and paused for another moment. “Thanks, Toni.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is hectic. Planning a wedding, bought my first house, been playing music again and reading more. Life is good. But inspiration struck randomly and I cranked this out in less than an hour. 
> 
> Apologizes for any mistakes and I will revise (someday). 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
